The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-06
TOnbar, Or The White Dove.
BY w. T. Dumas.

which no one thought 1t worth his
while disputing, he did have royal
blood in his veins. being the son and
heir apparent of a powerful African king. He
could remember the time, when child of
seven years, he with his father, mother and
band OF armed warriors had made an expedi-
ton to the coast for the purpose of procuring
that article indispensable alike to the civilized
and the savage-salt.
1t was on the return Journey that their
camp was one night surrounded and, after
desperate battle, his father, mother and most
of the warriors were slain He was found
clinging to the bleeding body of his mother,
and with the rest of the survivors was carried
away captive.
he could remember seeing men with red
coats on and great ship. He, with others,
was packed, like sardines, in the noSesome
bold. lie could recall the stencil, the thirst,
the fever, the agony OF the voyage; the pitiless
sea beneath, the pitIless men in red coats
above. At last, after what seemed an eternity
OF misery, the SLAYER anchored; he was driven
down the gangway and once more breathed
the pure air Of heayen-no longer captive but
a slave.
He was bought by Georgia planter who
carried him to his plantation near the coast.
Owing to his tender years he had little to do
except to do odd jobs and engage in the sports
of his duskY companions. But their pastimes
and gambols had few charms for him, al
though he eXcelled them all in activity and
endurance. He was distinguished for gravity
far beyond his years, being usually moody and
silent and consequently rather unpopular with.
his playinates. Their aversion was, however,
born of fear rather than of positive dislike.
He would seclude himself whenever he could,
and grieve and stretch his hands toward the
east and utter words in an unknown tongue
All bis life seemed to go out in regret for
the country that was to be his no more. Hence
the rest of the plantation darkies, with the
superstition of their race, regarded young
Tombar as an uncanny being in league with
the evil one.
He was, himself, the victim of q strange
fancy, childish but poetical. Through the edge
of the plantation ran large river on the banks
of which it was Tombars delight to stroll in his
aimless fashion. He was seen, one summers
afternoon, to plunge into its waters. Being
an expert swimmer, it was supposed that he
was amusing himself by INDUCING in that ex-
ercise, but as he rose and sank, making no
effort to sustain himself, one of the field hands,
working near, jumped i'll and rescued him
''Not" as he afterward explained, "fur de
sake of de Niger hisself; he mout er drowned.
God knows, but case Marse, George moutzer
raised s.lebbil erlong er me fur q lettin OF
him DO it,
When restored to consciousness and asked
the cause of his strange conduct, he pointed
towards the ocean, saying that if he could but
sink III the river it would carry him to the sea,
and the sea, in some unexplainable way, would
and he would awake there as from dream.
After this he was watched closely, and when
ever he exhibited any tendency to submarine
transmigration, which, for long time, he fire.
quently did, he was subjected to tho overseer's
whip and put in solitary confinement. The
latter punishment seemed most effective, as he
would receive the former with sullen endu-
rance and an air showing plainly that his spirit
was uncOnquerable.
Tombar grew to be q great man, stalwart,
broad-sbouldered and proud in his bearing.
His superior intelligence, strong, almost Cau-
casian features, proclaimed him to have no
kinship with the ordinary Guinea negroes
with whom the plantation was stocked. His
physical peculiarities, coupled with his own
story, indicated that he belonged to some in
terror tribe remote from the coast. He never
did anything to incur the charge of Voodooism,
yet the mere fact of his being an African was
sufficient to make the simple negroes regard
him as mighty conjurer who could, if he
chose at any moment put them under the in
6uence of the evil eye. On winter nights,
when grouped around fire of blazing logs,
relating stories of ghosts, COLLINS, witches and
other monsters known to their folklore, Tom
bar was always associated, somehow, in their
minds with the eerie portion of the narrative.
His silence, rarely broken, and the fact that
never, i'll all his life, had he been known to
smile, intensified their belief in his su-
pernatural powers. They would not have
been surprised at any time to have seen him
disappear in sulphurous flames or metamor-
phose himself into huge black snake and be-
gin his diGb0ical mischief by swallowing all
the little negroes ON the place. Consequently
none were surprised at what happened in the
sequel of this story
1t was on hot summer afternoon that
Tombar stood in the lot grooming his masters
He seemed to find more congenial company
among Gods dumb creatures than among his
fellow slaves who feared and respected but
could not love him.
bac 4o 61rriti HOY dJ,,o
the horses name, there suddenly appeared, in
the air above him, pure, snow-white dove. 1t
circled around and around as if seeking rest
ing place, its wings cleaning in the sunlight,
and finally, as softly as a feather, it lighted ON
Tombars's head. After perching there for an
instant, it futtered fondly about his breast,
then, cooling plaintively, it mounted straight
up and out of sight i'll moment. The negro
seemed dazed; a. vacant, far-away look came
into his eyes, and he stood as motionless as if
the current Of his life had been suddenly ar
rested by some powerful enchantment.
What was it? Whence did it come? Where
had it gone? What did it mean? These were
some of the questions that were in the minds
of the bystanders when they were capable of
reflection. Never before had such bird been
seen in that neighborhood.
When the dazed negro came to himself,
which he did with start, he said soleinnlv'
almost mechanically, to his mast9r who was
standing near and had witnessed the occur
renee: Goodbye, Marse George; Tombars
done been sent for; Tombar must 60"
"Where are you going, Tombar?" asked his
master But the only reply that he could
elicit was: "I's goin to the Ian OF the lion"
His master laughed at him for his supersti-
ton and before night had forgotten the cir
cumstance.
The rest Of the day, Tom5ar moved about
as one in a dream. He evidently regarded the
incident as a premonition of approaching
death, but, if lie did, he exhibited neither Joy
nor sorrow atthe prospective occurrence.
Tho next day, at noon, the oyerseer reported
that he had large quantity OF fodder hanging
in the field, perfectly cured, aud that he would
need all the spare help ON the place to get it
snug in time TO escape the rain which he pre-
dictel would come in the afternoon Conse-
qucntly the cook, stable boys. all The picka-
ninnies from the quarters, and the house girls
even, were ordered to the field 20 help harvest
the forage. Among the rest went Tombar,
who worked more IKE an automatcn thaua
man. All hands worked fast and furious as
the storm, which the oyerseor's weather wis
.dom ha3 foreseeR, gas~herail!g'.~ iiS'appfoacX"
with thunder and hanging ont Us banners Of
lightning.
just as the last bundle hal been thrown
upon the stack, and victorious shout from the